Simon here from S&P. Got to jump in on a James Eadie tasting with the Whisky Explorer couple weeks ago. Very interesting to see what they're doing at James Eadie. Their initial raison d'être was to resurect James Eadie's Trade Mark X blended scotch based on bottles from the mid 20th century. They've now expanded the brand to have a 46% single malt line up that showcases various distillery characters, and a single cask, cask strength line up with various finishes that are more unique and experimental.
James Eadie Trade Mark X, Scotch blend (was told on the tasting that there are some Lagavulin, Glendronach, Talisker, Caol Ila, Little Mill, Cambus, insinuated Glen Scotia, Blair Athol, Craigallachie, and a few more I missed), 45.6% abv, $70 CAD.
Nose: Peaty. Salty. Light peat bogs. Hay. Little sweet/honey note. Little lemon.
Palate: Peaty. Little salty. Malty. Little hay. Wet hay. Barnyard funk. I like this. Definitely feels like an old blend style.
Overall: It certainly tastes like something from the past. The best popular whisky to compare this to is Johnnie Walker Black. This is slightly more expensive, but it also does everything that JW Black does except better. It's got the smoky Talisker/Caol Ila, but also the honey/apple sweetness from the Speyside/Highland. It's easy drinking like JWB. If you were looking at replenishing your JWB stock, highly highly recommend you grab one of these instead. 78.
Benrinnes ''The Eagle'' 46%, 9 years old. $85 CAD.
Nose: Fruit basket. Old oaky toffee. Cognac-y. Lightly salted pastries. Malty apple cider. Porridge. Little sour.
Palate: Light. Fruity. Little toffee. Malty. Little salty. Malty apples. Sour/bitter grainy note. Barley forward.
Overall: This is nice and light. 79.
Linkwood ''The Peacock'' 46%, 10 years old. $90 CAD.
Nose: Apple/malt candy. Dehydrated apples. Malty apples. Apple cider. Citrus spray. Orange peel. Little floral. Little toffee.
Palate: Citrus forward. Orange peel. Little malty. Orange blossom. Toffee/grainy. Bready. Sour/sweet citrus. Apple-ish sweetness. Nice malt/citrus forward dram.
Overall: Really like this one. For the cost too I think it's good value. Not in a rush to grab a bottle but I might. 82.
Caol Ila ''The Black Lion'' 46%, 9 years old, $90 CAD.
Nose: Big ole peat bog. Some Bowmore-esque tropical fruits. Salty. Malty. With salty lemons sprinkled on top.
Palate: Grassy and Mezcal-ish. Salted lemon. Peat bog. More balanced on the palate.
Overall: This is a pretty basic young refill peater, but definitely one of the boggier Caol Ilas I've had. I'd probably pick this over the regular 12y Caol Ila. Very similar to the Elements of Islay ''Peat'' that I reviewed a couple months ago. 83.
Dailuaine ''The Boot'' 46%, 10 years old, $90 CAD.
Nose: Citrus (grapefruit/tangerine). Apples. Malty. Citrus candle/citrus soap. Orange blossom. Vanilla. Banana bread.
Palate: Malty. Citrus finish. The same as the nose but only on the finish. Very citrus candle. On the front it's just honey malty with a touch of sweet clay. Malty grainy. Little bitter.
Overall: This has some character and I like the floral citrus notes. 82.
Caol Ila 11 years, Single Cask, Finished in Palo Cortado, 56.5%. $150 CAD.
Nose: Classic Caol Ila. Smoky lemons and grassy hay. There's an almond skin note too.
Palate: So smooth. Almond skin. Little coaly. Salty.
Overall: This smells like Caol Ila but tastes exactly like .1 series Octomore. And like the best batches too. If you were curious about the Octmores, this is half the cost and as good as the best .1 Octomores I've tried (I'm four .1s in, 12.1 is my favorite). Really impressed with this, in fact I already have a bottle on the way. 93.
Teaninich 10 years, Single Cask, Palo Cortado finish. 56.9%. $140 CAD.
Nose: Earthy sweet. Lightly salted. Sea side. Funky malt. Humac. Waxy. Fruity leather. Apples. Seasoned salt. Malty. Blossoms.
Palate: Nutty. Warm. Oaky. Unsweet strawberries?. Some kind of fruity note that's not sweet. Blown out match. Little molassy. Little salty apples.
Overall: Beautiful Palo Cortado finish. Well done, well balanced, decently complex. Flavorful. Well picked cask, would love a bottle. 89.
Auchroisk 12 years, Single Cask, 55.8%, first-fill bourbon hogshead. $130 CAD.
Nose: Honey. Butterscotch. Tiny fruity. Irishy. Malty citrus. Little sour.
Palate: Malty honey. Solid kick. Bourbon bomb. Vanilla. Orchardy. Spicy. Active bourbon cask here for sure. Grainy. Long spicy vanilla finish.
Overall: This is super well done but bourbon bomb scotches are not my cup of tea, so keep in mind the rating is biasly deflated. 85.
Over-overall: I think James Eadie set out to do something and everyone on the team understood the assignment. I think they nailed the blend for what they were going for. I think their 46% line up are character forward, light yet interesting, easy-drinking introductions to the respective distilleries. And I think the single casks are super well picked and a little more daring. So far I pulled the trigger on the Caol Ila 11y, and I will be keeping an eye out to bottle share further releases.
Cheers!
Simon from S&P
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